Looking back... Back to the drawing board for De Lorean test car in Glenarm

Published:07:00Monday 04 April 2016

A new De Lorean test car burst into flames on a quiet country road just outside Glenarm in March 1981.

The two men who were testing the high powered sports car bailed out of the vehicle before it caught fire. There were no injuries reported at the time.

The incident happened at Munie Road at around 4am on a quiet Monday morning. The driver noticed warning signals on the dashboard just before the car burst into flames. It’s understood that the alarm was raised by an off-duty police officer, who helped the men. Members of the fire brigade arrived at the scene shortly after the alarm was raised.

A spokesman from the fire brigade said that it did not take long to put the fire out. The two men had been testing the car on tough mountainous roads in Co Antrim and were returning to their base when the incident happened. It was reported at the time that the fire caused some embarrassment to De Lorean executives as they were reportedly seeking extra time to pay back Government grants. The west Belfast company played down the Glenarm incident, but local reports indicated that fairly extensive damage was done to the car.